Rotary-valve structure



July 12, 1927.

E. H. MITCHAM ROTARY VALVE STRUQTURE Patented July 1a, w27.`V

'L1-STATES insana nLDoNH. MITCHAM, oF Cimarron, IOWA,

ROTARY-VALVE scrymrcrunn.v Y

y .Application filed Aprii- 7,

My invention relates to rotary valve structures for controlling fuel intakev and gas exy haust of internal comhi'lstion engines.

f More particularly, itis my object .to pro? yide arotary valve structure of very ,simple and inexpensive construction, having novel eatures in the details of its mounting, operation and cooling means.

lViththese and other objects in view, my

if) invention consists inthe construction, ar-

rangement and combination .of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects con templated are attained, asv hereinafter. more fullyset forth, pointed ont in my claims,

l'a'nd. illustrated in the accompanying draw- '-f structureemhodying my invention.

ings, invwhich: f y

f Figure 1 fis, a vertical, sectional view through"theupperipartl of an internal coin hustion engineiequipped with a rotary valve Figure 2 is a detail, sectionalview taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is-adetail, Sectional View tal-:en

on Vthe line 3-'3 of Figure 1.

39' AIn the,` accompanying drawings wherein my invention is illustrated, I have employed the reference numeral 1() to indicate)gener ally thel cylindersof an internal combustion engine. The engine block 11 is provided f"'" with 'the'upper water passages 12 for cooling' purposes.

In each'cylinder, is a piston 13 having av connecting rod 1e, which is operatively connected with the usual crank shaft 15. t

. The engine block 11has the detachable Ahead 16 providedwith passages 17nco1nmunicating with the passages 12 and also provided with a central, longitudinally arrangedl casing 18, shown particularly in Figures 1k land 2, for my rotary valve.

v The valve. casing 18 terminates at each endsuhstantially short of the en d of "the, yengine head 16, as shown kfor instance in4 Figure 1. It may he'al'so noted thatI at each .4.; end, the valvejcasing 18 has a bell flange,

these flanges being indicated at 19 and 2O vin Figurel. The hell flanges 19 vand 2O are interiorly screw-threaded. The lower part of the valve casing 18 communicates with e the upper part ofeach cylinder 10 by means of a suitablefopening or passage 21, shown for instance in Figures 1l and 2. l

Connected with the yupper part of the valve casing` 18, a little on one side from verticalcen'ter, is the intake manifold 22 and f is the exhaust manifold 23.

' that` the reduction four to one.

192e. `scrviaiu.icones.

vconnected Vwith the upper part of said casingalong the lotherside of the verticalucenter The headl16 is formedwith short passages 24 and 25 for affording' communication be! tween the casing 18 and the intake and exhaust manifoldsV At the ends of the head 16 arescrew-threaded closure plugs l26 `and 27,;as shownin Figure 1, which are of suiiicient size for' the purpose. V

Y- Received withinthe casing 1 8 is a rotary Y valvef28, comprising a tube, .which at the rear end lprojects'.heyend the main bore of the casing 18 and at its forward end proj ectsy entirely heyondthecasing 18, an'd'therbell flange 20,1and has the` gear 29 keyedthereon, and. beyond that the forwardly` `extending portion 30.; l f

At the "rear end of the casingj18, al packing gland 31 surrounds the end of the shaft y28 and is screwed into the rhell flange 19 Aand servesy lto holdthe packing 32 in place.

NearY the front end of the casing 18, a simi- 35 also shown in Figure 1, is screwedinto 'the front part of thefhousing 33 for holding packing 36 between it and the rib At the'lower: frontpart ofthe engine,a gear 37 is mounted on a`r counter .shaft in ,meshv witha spurgear 39 on the crank shaft 15. lThe gear 29 isv a sprocket gear and in line therewith on the shaft 38is another .sprocket 40. A. chain 4:1 travels on lar packing gland 33 is screwedinto `the f the sprockets 29,y and 40. `Thus motionis y transmitted fronithe crank shaft'15 through the gears 39 and 37 to the shaftv 38 Aand from that shaftr through the'sprockets 38 and 29" and the chain 41 to the valve 28. The housing 33? extends down as at 16and coversI the l gears, sprockets and chain. l

It, mayv he mentioned n` this ,connection The end thrust lofV the 'rotaryv valve is' f taken care'of by the packing nut 33 andv v the annular rib 34a againstwhich the gear abuts.

'.lll

At each end ofthe shaft 28, a space 42 is afforded for Water circulation;- IAt the fronthousing 33a, the space 42 is connected `by means of the passage 43 with thevradiator and at the rear end of the'headldthespace passages 44 are connected with a suitable' Y source of oil supply.

`While the structure of my device may' vary considerably, I have in the present drawings shown the respective passages 24 and 25 to be oppositie each other, and where this structure is employed, I provide one-intakev and exhaust inder 13.

This exhaust passage is formed bymeans cfa flattened tube 45 extendingdiametrically across the valve. A Y

It will be understood that the lseries of fuel passage tubes 4,5 furthev different cylindcrsv are arranged at proper angles `to veach other according to the desired timing of the device. t, In the practical use of my improvedA rotary valve, it ,will be seenthat thel shaft 28 is rotated from the crank shaft at the rate of oneto four. 4 Referringlforinstance toFigure 3, it will be notedvthatthe passagefl is justmidway between exhaust and intake positions. A little further clockwise movement .of the shaft 28 will bring the passage 45 to intake position.A After intake, then for the next one-eighth revolution of the valve, there occurs the compression stroke'of the motor, and during the third one-eighth revolution occurs the firing stroke of the motora'.v Another one-eighth revolution4 will bring the valve to exhaustposition. 1

Thus as here shown, the valvemakes one revolution to four revolutions vof the' crank 'shaft and to two complete cycles of operation of the engine. .4 a

It will be noted that I have provided a very simple Aand inexpensive' mannerv of l mountingl the'valve in the casing and provided. forihe water flow throughit andi for y providing thelsprocketfgear 29at lthe front end between two portions of vthekvalve, which v are suitablymounted in bearings.

Furthermore, the sprocket gear 2,9 is protected. against water in the water jacketsby the shoulder'ta, packing-and gland 35 on the one side, and the bell flange 207Which )assaOe in the valve for each c l-V D j f is integral with the head 16 casing 18 on the other side.

`There is thus provided a very eflicient valve structure.v

and with the 'One great problem in structures of this kind is to afford proper coolingin order to take Ycare of the problems -of expansion vand contraction, and this problem is solved by the vconstiaiction y*heretofore described. It may here be mentioned that the tube 28 could be in communication with the` oiling system of the car for cooling it oritvcould vbeopen to the atn'iosphereat each'end whereby the current of air created by the lfan 'ofithe "engirlie would pass therethrough for cooling the m VQ I have also afforded what/"I believetobe a novel and desirable structure in themanlner of imparting rotation'from thefcrank shaft tothe valve, particularly inl thev arrangement of the sprocket gear on the valve in the manner described. i f

I claim as my invention:l

l. In a structurel of the `class described,fan engine block having cylinders,a 'head sup'- pcrted on said bloclna rotaryltubulatr valve said head' and surroundingsaid v valvejadjacent the ends thereof, one end of saidfval've projecting beyond its packing glandand having a sprocket secured thereon` and having beyond said sprocket an extending por-V tion, a housing secured to said head and covering said sprocket andjextendingportion, an annular rib on the interior of said housing'surrounding'said extending* portion, a

packing' and a `packing glandY 1ii` "sai'd"an nular rib, and `water jacketlspaces 'in said head and: said housing at the 'ends `of'said valve whereby water may circulate through the valve fromk one of said spaces to the other. y K

v2. A rotary valve construction comprising a. head adapted to be secured'to vthe"blockof an' engine, a rotary tubular valvetherein, packing means betweenfthe valve andthe head adjacent each end thereof, onefendof said valveV extending beyond' Htlie' ,packing means, a driving sprocket secured thereoli,a` housing for said extendingportion', packing means between said housing andftheviextending portion, an annular rib 'in'y said 'housing lugs in said housin0V andv said head atea'c end of the valve whereby access'may b'e'had to the packingrmeans and said valve'rnay 'be removed/when the plugs are' removed;` one of said packing means and'saidannul'ar rib serving as Vendk thrust bearings l ,for said sprocket. i

Des Moines, Iowa, March`19,"1926.

ELDON H. MITCHAM.

' lin said head, packing'andpacking 'glandsin 

